University of South Florida State of Nature Ideology

Description

Instructions: Papers should be 4-5 pages in length, double-spaced, in twelve point Times New Roman font, with 1 inch margins. Do not write one sentence on page five and consider your work done. If your paper is 4 pages in length, then all four pages should be full. Please do not use external sources when crafting your answers. You are free to use any information from the assigned texts, lectures and discussions. Also, do not restate the prompt at the beginning of your paper. Simply note the number of the question you have selected to answer. As per the syllabus, this essay is worth 25% of your final grade. Relax. You have plenty of time to write; do not wait until the last minute.

Essays should be submitted electronically via Canvas by 11:59pm on Wednesday, November 6th.

Please answer ONE of the following questions:

Political theorists often use the State of Nature as an analytical device to describe human nature and to justify (or contest) political realities. Both John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau offer contrasting visions of the State of Nature. In an essay, describe the key starting points of each author’s respective understanding of the State of Nature. What assumptions go into their descriptions? As a second step, explain how each of them explain the causes that led us away from this original state. Which structural transformations caused us to quit the State of Nature? Finally, whose version of “human nature” (i.e., the starting assumptions) do you find more persuasive, and why?

Todorov’s Conquest of America contains at least three different methods of encountering peoples and cultures. Todorov himself broadly classifies these three forms under the headings discovery, conquest, and love. Although Todorov limits himself to the American case, we can imagine contemporary counterparts for these methods of encounter. In place of Columbus, we could imagine a surveyor who discovers new oil reserves in “developing” countries. A contemporary Cortes could be a military general tasked with pacifying an enemy population (that outnumbers his own troops). Las Casas, as we discussed in class, could easily take the form of civil rights NGOs working domestically and abroad to bring awareness to genocide and other crimes against humanity. In an essay, discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of each of these positions with respect to their mode of encountering other cultures and peoples. Which position do you most suitable for discovering the Other? Why?

[Helpful hints for BOTH questions: Notice that there are multiple parts to these questions. Make sure you address each of the various component parts in your answer].